Police seize scores of knives in a search of 4,000 suspects

[jetsetter]

More than four thousand people have been stopped and searched in London in the past two weeks as police try to address public concern over young people carrying knives.

The ?1 million operation has led to the seizure of almost 200 weapons and to 210 arrests. Officers have used airport-style search arches and metal-detecting wands on the streets.

The Home Office announced an advertising campaign yesterday with shocking images of the damage that can be done with a knife. One shows a man with a knife sticking out of his stomach, and another shows a hand from which the thumb has been severed.

Although the campaign highlights injuries caused by a Swiss Army knife, police have revealed that the majority of weapons seized from teenagers had been taken from their kitchens. The law forbids anyone under the age of 18 from buying a knife of any kind.

In Operation Blunt 2, senior officers have taken the unusual step of authorising emergency powers, known as Section 60 orders, almost 100 times to give themselves the power to stop anyone even without reasonable suspicion. Some of their tactics have been questioned by members of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Members of the watchdog warned Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, yesterday that rude and aggressive police officers were endangering community support. They were also concerned at the wide use of Section 60 powers.

But Sir Ian vowed that the emergency powers would continue to be used until the violence eased.

John Roberts, an independent member of the body, said that the searches were supported but only when done with sensitivity and respect. He said that not all frontline officers were doing this and they should be sent for training or sacked.

He added: ?We must get these officers retrained or out of the Police Service because they are the ones doing damage to your credibility and that of the police.?

Jenny Jones, a Green London Assembly member, said that she wanted to know how Sir Ian could justify a long-term Section 60 operation when crime figures were falling. She said: ?If we are operating aggressive policing it is going to take considerable resources to allay community fears.?

Section 60 powers have to be authorised by a senior officer if they believe that ?incidents involving serious violence may take place in his/her police area and that an authorisation will be effective in preventing these incidents?.

Speaking at the meeting of the authority, Mr Blair said: ?We do not accept that this is an aggressive tactic. It is robust because it has to be. The message to officers is clear, ?This has got to be done with respect?. But search arches do give us a very significant ability people through very fast. It is equivalent to an airport search. We put these in places where people have not got much time to think that they are not going through them.

?If they turn away that is of great interest to us and we go and have a conversation with them.?

He added: ?[Operation] Blunt will stop when the murders start to reduce because we just cannot go on at this level of deaths in this age group in a city where crime in terms of violence is falling. This outweighs all the other successes of the Met.?

Operation Blunt 2 is under way in all 32 London boroughs, but extra resources are being sent to the ten worst-hit areas including Lambeth, Southwark and Croydon.

Since the operation started two weeks ago officers have used airport-style search arches 54 times, implemented Section 60 powers 95 times and carried out 51 weapon sweeps.

In total there have been 4,277 stop-and-searches and 210 people have

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4029740.ece

Sigh........

 

[teeb]

I could've sworn that this was going to be another 'health and safety' thread, and the title was going to be "Police seize scores of knives from kitchen"...

 

[Crazyjeeper]

I love how they don't seem to realize that taking away one means to harm each other will just cause people to find other ways. People can't carry handguns, so the regular citizens have no way of defending themselves. I don't hear about people getting randomly stabbed/mugged all of the time on this side of the pond.

Oh, I carry one of these with me at all times, its just useful to have.

 

[BlaRo]

Wow. At this rate, I hope the zombie apocalypse hits England first.

 

[Ottobon]

Yours NOW for only $799!!!

 

[jetsetter]

Oh, I carry one of these with me at all times, its just useful to have.

I carry the same but in silver and gray.

 

[Blind_Io]

I almost always have a knife on me, which one I choose depends on what I'm doing that day. While I understand their intention of making the streets safer from hooligans with cutlery, is it really legal to stop people on the street and make them go through a metal detector? If a police department tried that on me I would tell the officer to kindly get bent and arrest me if he didn't like it. My phone call would be to my family, telling them to call the ACLU and all the major news outlets.

 

[Peter3hg]

I have no issue with this. What would someone walking around London possibly need a knife for?

 

[jetsetter]

I have no issue with this. What would someone walking around London possibly need a knife for?

A knife is a tool and a useful one at that. Seems by the time the government is done all you guys will be left with will be plastic spoons.

 

[tigger]

But search arches do give us a very significant ability people through very fast. It is equivalent to an airport search. We put these in places where people have not got much time to think that they are not going through them.

Hurr durr ...

I have no issue with this. What would someone walking around London possibly need a knife for?

Lets take the knife bit out, and just look at this overly aggressive police stopping and searching citizens without probable cause. That would not fly here, but then again we've got an actual bill of rights (I suppose there's ways around that too though).

Now why would anyone need a knife? Ideally not for self-defense, but it comes in handy in those cases. London's probably not the safest city in the world, but no one needs to be carrying around butchers knives. Like others mentioned, a proper little pocketknife is just handy.

I carry this CRKT normally (can't find it this morning ) ...

You can easily open it one handed and the ~3.25in blade is more than enough for the dangerous boxes, wires and heat shrink I deal with on a daily basis :lol:.

 

[CyberMonkey]

Have they ever tried using a regular swiss army knife as a weapon? Most of those knives don't allow to fix the blade so you would end up with the blade closing shut against your knuckles. But first you would have to get it open with the nail of your thumb.

It's a tool, not a weapon. However, knives which have a fixed blade or which are easy to open with one hand (spring knives, butterfly knives) have no place on the streets.

I have one with me all the time. I hardly use the knife, more the screwdriver, bottle opener, pliers and scissors.

 

[Peter3hg]

A knife is a tool and a useful one at that. Seems by the time the government is done all you guys will be left with will be plastic spoons.

I agree entirely with it being useful, but how often am I going to be walking down the street in a large urban area and suddenly need a knife? It just is not going to happen. I carry one in the car as there is a chance I might need it but I wouldn't even contemplate carrying one down the street as there is just no need. I did carry a small Swiss army knife in my wallet for years but found I never used it so it was pointless.

 

[Crazyjeeper]

I agree entirely with it being useful, but how often am I going to be walking down the street in a large urban area and suddenly need a knife? It just is not going to happen. I carry one in the car as there is a chance I might need it but I wouldn't even contemplate carrying one down the street as there is just no need.

Just because you don't see the need for one, does that mean I shouldn't be permitted to carry my knife?

 

[Peter3hg]

Just because you don't see the need for one, does that mean I shouldn't be permitted to carry my knife?

If you have it in the street with no purpose, yes absolutely. Should I be allowed to walk around the streets with a shotgun just because I might find a sudden use for it?

 

[Crazyjeeper]

If you have it in the street with no purpose, yes absolutely. Should I be allowed to walk around the streets with a shotgun just because I might find a sudden use for it?

Well, since I have no problem with people carrying guns, yes, you should be allowed to walk around the streets with a shotgun. Open carry is legal in most US states, just most cities have ordinances that frown on it.

 

[Twerp128]

So scissor stabbings will be up then?

Plus what the hell do the Boy Scouts do, break out the bar soap and plastic cutlery?

 

[Peter3hg]

So scissor stabbings will be up then?

Plus what the hell do the Boy Scouts do, break out the bar soap and plastic cutlery?

There's no problem with carrying a knife if you have a legitimate reason to have it so if you are in a Scout uniform then there's likely to be no issue.

 

[jetsetter]

if you have a legitimate reason

I want to carry one and that is legitimate enough.

 

[Peter3hg]

I want to carry one and that is legitimate enough.

Not under English law (hasn't been since the 50's). I guess it just shows how massively varied the two cultures are.
If you get a real twat of a copper, you can get done for having something like a pry bar in your car with no reason as it can be classed as "going equipped".

 

[Crazyjeeper]

Not under English law (hasn't been since the 50's). I guess it just shows how massively varied the two cultures are.
If you get a real twat of a copper, you can get done for having something like a pry bar in your car with no reason as it can be classed as "going equipped".

You know, there is a reason we rebelled